In his arms
by sookieandsamfan
Summary: In Four's arms, Tris feels a comfort she's never felt before


***Set after Four saves Tris from Peter, Drew and Al. I wondered what might have happened if Tris would have woken back up in the middle of the night. I hope you like it. It's my first try at Divergent fanfic. I own nothing. This story takes some liberties with the plot because Tris and Four don't really show this kind of affection until after Al dies.

From the book: "Four sleeps on the floor and I sleep on his bed, on top of the quilt, breathing in the scent of his pillowcase….He lies on his stomach with one arm around his head. His eyes are closed, his lips parted…Whoever he is, I like him….I watch the muscles in his back expand and contract until I fall asleep."

Fanfic:

Unfortunately, I don't stay asleep long. Somewhere a few hours later I am back on that ledge not sure what Peter, Drew and Al really might do to me. I'm scared they'll kill me, and I am not ready to die. I feel like I've finally found my place. With Dauntless. Maybe with Four. Peter is taunting me about my body and running his hands all over me. Somewhere inside me, I know it's a dream, but it feels so real. I feel him grab at my shirt just like he really did, but then he starts to move his hand lower to just above the waistband of my sleep shorts. He leans over me and whispers in my ear, "Let's see if you're even a girl."

I gasp, yell "No,' and sit straight up in bed. I'm breathing heavy, and my heart feels like it might pound out of my chest. I close my eyes and open them again realizing where I am. I am safe. I am in Four's room in his bed. He saved me from those guys. Within seconds, he has thrown off his cover from where he sleeps on the floor. He sits down on the mattress beside me.

"What it is?" he asks gently.

I look into his dark blue eyes, and I'm suddenly so calm, I've nearly forgotten what startled me, but I manage to answer him. "Bad dream," I say simply.

"About tonight?" he asks.

I just nod yes and bury my head in my hands remembering Peter's hands running all over my body. I don't want to tell Four the exact details for some reason. Probably because I'm embarrassed that I feel more afraid of that than actually plunging to my death.

Suddenly Four's arms are around me. His hands are warm, and it feels so good. He strokes my back with one hand, my hair with the other. He pulls me close and whispers in my ear, "You're safe here Tris."

And that's exactly how I now feel, safe. I release my head from my hands and slide my arms around his neck deepening the hug. As he continues to rub my back I start to feel more than safe, but I can't describe it. It's something I've never felt before.

I nestle my head on his shoulder in the crook of his neck, and I smell the same smell I've been taking in from his pillowcase. It's a smell I think I could get more than used to. We stay in an embrace for about 5 minutes until Four finally pulls back I little bit and says quietly in my ear, "Okay now?"

The truth is I am okay now, but I want to say no because I don't want him to stop hugging me. I decided to go with the truth anyways. "Much better," I say continuing to pull back so I can smile at him. He smiles too and looks so handsome I can barely breathe.

"Do you want me to stay up here with you?" He kind of blurts it out suddenly, and his cheeks redden as he looks down. It gives me hope that maybe, just maybe, he doesn't want to stop touching me. He could just be being nice. Either way, I want it.

"If you don't mind," I say, and he looks back up and smiles again. "I wouldn't have offered if I minded," he says in that tone that screams Four. I can't help but laugh.

Four gets off the bed to retrieve the blanket he was using on the floor. I noted that was sweet because I was sleeping on top of his covers, and he didn't want to disrupt me too much, especially with my injuries. While he was getting the blanket and making his way back to the bed, I scoot over and lay down facing the wall so he has room to get in beside me.

I feel the bed shift with his weight as he climbs back in beside me. I can tell he lays down facing towards me because of the way he easily covers us both with the blanket. He is so close I can hear him breathing in my ear.

I lay awake feeling him so close to me, and I'm trying to figure out how I can work it out so I can touch him, but to my relief, he does it for me. Under the blanket, I feel his right hand gently slide across my side to my stomach. I quickly take full advantage of the situation and slide slightly back closer to him and rest my hand on top of his. He spreads his fingers out slightly so that our hands are interlaced, and he buries his face in my hair.

I feel safe and warm and comfortable, and yes, I'll admit it turned on. It's the first time in my life I've ever felt that combination of emotions, and it feels amazing. I'm not sure I've ever felt more alive. Not when I jumped into that net or beat Molly to a pulp, but here in Four's arms, I am alive.

"Four?" I whisper.

"Hmmm?" he says against my ear, and it tickles in a good way.

"Thank you for saving me." I am talking mostly about tonight, but I'm also talking about more than that. He is saving me from the affectionless life I might have led if I had stayed with Abnegation.

Four pulls me even tighter to his chest and whispers. "You're welcome, but trust me, it's self-serving."

"How so?" I ask.

"Because I like having you around," he answers, and I can hear the smile in his voice. I smile too and squeeze his hand tighter.

This time I drift off to sleep and stay that way safe and sound in Four's arms.

When I wake up the next morning, I'm in a different position than the way I fell asleep. Four is lying on his back, and I have my arm around him with my head resting on his shoulder. His hand is intertwined with mine, and his other arm is clutching my side. I open my eyes to look up at him, but I find he's already awake.

"Good morning," he says smiling. "Morning," I say back. Neither one of us makes a move to untangle ourselves. "We should probably get up," Four says reluctantly. "How's your head?" he follows up. I was so distracted by him that I hadn't even thought about it until he said something, and suddenly my head is throbbing. I lie though and say, "It's alright." I want to just keep lying there in Four's arms, but I know if I don't get up now, we'll be late for breakfast, and people might start talking.

I start to try and sit up and cringe at the ache in my side. Four helps push me up and says, "Take your time." He sits up along with me. I need to take my time. Without the distraction of being close to Four, I realize just how sore I really am. My head hurts; my side hurts and my arms hurt from hanging onto the rail above the chasm. Four gently rubs my back, which gives me some but not enough relief.

Four can tell I'm hurting. He stands up and says, "Just relax and take your time getting up. I'm going to take a shower, okay?" I look up at him and shake my head yes. I feel certain he can see the pain in my eyes. He starts towards the bathroom then turns back and leans down. He very gently cups my face and tilts it upwards then presses his lips to my forehead. "You are the bravest person I know," he says as he pulls back. I can barely breathe from his kiss but I manage to smile, and with he turns and goes to the bathroom.

As I watch him walk across the room, all my pain is gone.

*This story could slide in after Tris' attack and before they head to breakfast. I hope you liked it.


End file.
